Episode 691 – Let’s Ramp It Up!

This Week In Jeep

Stellantis CEO Predicts Extended Chip Shortage

Over the last couple of years, Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Jeep’s parent company Stellantis, has been outspoken and accurate about the direction the automotive industry as a whole is moving right now. I’m not going to go over a press biography of what he’s said and just how much he’s been right on, but this latest prediction could mean continuing trouble for both the new and used car markets. Carlos Tavares said supplies of semiconductors will remain tight until the end of next year, according to an interview published in a French newspaper. “The situation will remain very complicated until the end of 2023, then will ease a little,” Tavares told the newspaper, adding that… “semiconductor manufacturers have an interest in doing business, especially as they are raising prices.” Starting at the end of 2020, shortages of semiconductor chips due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have forced global automakers to scrap production plans for millions of cars. Shortages are now easing, but at a new and permanent cost to the car companies. Tavares isn’t the only one chiming in on this either, as just days after this was published, a top executive at Volkswagen also expects chip shortages to continue through next year. Automakers have experienced billions in lost revenue due to this chip shortage, which is now predicted to last through next year and into 2024. Historic times indeed. What this means for used car prices and the new car market as a whole, is going to (more or less) be more of the same….  Inflated used car prices and low inventory numbers for new car lots. I bet if you hang on to that old Jeep for another year, it may just be worth even more.  

Thankfully Both The Cops And the Jeep Are OK

So check this out, the driver of a Jeep that fled from different law enforcement agencies from two different counties remains on the run. In the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 3, a Cass County Illinois deputy sheriff stopped a Jeep Cherokee for a traffic violation on Highway 34 near the intersection of Highway 63. Ok, no big deal, pretty routine right? Maybe the Jeeper was speeding, probably had a light out or something, we don’t know. But according to the reports, as the deputy approached the vehicle, the Jeep Cherokee just up and drove off. Deputies did what they are trained to do, and opened fire on the Jeep with their drawn and ready assault weapons, unleashing a storm of death and destruction. THE END.         …As-If! 

The cop rushed back to the car and began a pursuit but quickly lost sight of the now fleeing Jeep Cherokee. Not even an hour later, deputies just so happen to come across the same Jeep…. again! This time near 310th Street and Church Road. 

Deputies (again) attempted to stop the Jeep, which (again) fled. In the course of the pursuit, the Jeep went miles, driving recklessly down dirt roads. Deputies pursued the Jeep on these dirt and gravel back roads until one patrol car lost control and ended up in a ditch. If this never made headlines, we’d swear this was an episode of “Dukes of Hazzard.” The suspect vehicle headed towards Ashland Illinois now, where now deputies from the Saunders County Sheriff’s Department initiated pursuit just outside of the city. Somehow, the Saunders County Sheriffs were also unable to stop the now clearly unmistakable Jeep Cherokee XJ. The suspect vehicle is reported as being silver, an early 2000s Jeep Cherokee with no license plates and flag stickers in the back windows. If you have any information regarding this vehicle, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office asks that you pretty please tell them, so they can get their dignity back.

In case you were wondering, the deputy involved in the pursuit that put his cruiser into a ditch did not sustain serious injuries.

Tech Talk with Jeep Talk

TOPIC/QUESTION: QUICK TIP

Stop shop ramps from sliding

If you’re trying to drive your Jeep or maybe it’s the daily driver or friend’s car onto some of those plastic or steel portable shop ramps, you may be aware of the struggle many faces when attempting this. Too often, the ramps keep sliding away from the front wheels on the smooth floor of your garage. To prevent this from happening ever again, tie some rope or nylon strapping to the lowest holes in the ramps and stretch the other ends so that your back wheels roll over them before the front tires hit the ramps. The weight of the vehicle and the traction of the tire will prevent the strap from moving, and with the other ends tied to the ramps, ….they ain’t going anywhere! 

…And up the ramp, you go.  

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

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